NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 8715.24 Effective Date: September 24, 2021 Expiration Date: September 24, 2026

Subject: Planetary Protection Provisions for Robotic Extraterrestrial Missions

Responsible Office: Office of Safety and Mission Assurance

Chapter 2. Roles and Responsibilities

2.1 Mission Directorate Associate Administrator

2.1.1 The Mission Directorate Associate Administrator (MDAA), as described in NPD 1000.3, The NASA Organization, is responsible and accountable for their assigned programs and projects. As part of this responsibility, the MDAA operating or sponsoring the mission:

a. Provides, in coordination with the Planetary Protection Officer (PPO), planetary protection mission categorization to projects.

b. Provides resources to achieve and assure compliance with applicable Agency planetary protection requirements based on the planetary protection mission categorization, including oversight by the Chief, SMA and the PPO.

c. Consults with the appropriate interagency, commercial, and international partners, in coordination with the Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR), to negotiate a mission specific process for partnered missions.

d. Coordinates with the PPO to support research and technology development to close knowledge gaps and develop planetary protection requirements for future missions.

2.2 NASA Project Manager

2.2.1 The NASA Project Manager is responsible for:

a. Submitting planetary protection mission categorization requests to the MDAA, including notification of missions requiring planetary protection mission categorization to the PPO.

b. Identifying applicable Agency planetary protection requirements, including an agreed upon set of accepted standards, consistent with the planetary protection mission categorization for review and concurrence by the authorities defined in section 3.1.2.

c. Establishing the project’s planned implementation to achieve compliance with identified planetary protection requirements using an agreed upon set of accepted standards and verified alternative approaches (see 2.2.1.b).

Note: Planetary protection mission categorization and the project’s planned implementation are based on the utilization of current scientific consensus as described in section 1.2.

d. Communicating and coordinating with the PPO to define timely independent verification and assurance activities and accommodating such activities throughout the project life cycle.

e. Documenting the project’s execution of the planned implementation throughout the project life cycle to achieve compliance with applicable Agency planetary protection requirements.

f. Identifying applicable Agency planetary protection requirements and establishing the corresponding compliant implementation for extended mission activities, if a project plans to extend its mission past the scheduled End of Mission (EOM) or add to the planned set of mission objectives.

2.2.2 NASA Program Managers flow risk acceptance down to NASA project offices as defined in their program-level documentation. When the responsible Mission Directorate or NASA program office has not established a NASA project office, any responsibilities or requirements levied on the NASA Project Manager in this directive are reverted to the NASA Program Manager.

2.3 Chief, Safety and Mission Assurance

2.3.1 The Chief, SMA, as described in NPD 1000.3, is responsible for advising the Administrator and other senior officials on matters related to risk, safety, and mission success and serves as the lead Technical Authority. As part of the responsibility to provide independent oversight of projects in support of safety and mission success, the Chief, SMA:

a. Reviews for concurrence the project’s planetary protection mission categorization request in coordination with the PPO.

b. Consults with the Chief Health and Medical Officer on matters pertaining to biosafety and public health and the Chief Engineer on matters pertaining to robust control and containment of restricted Earth-return samples.

c. Monitors the project’s identification of applicable Agency planetary protection requirements, including an agreed upon set of accepted standards, consistent with the planetary protection mission categorization in coordination with the PPO.

d. Tracks the project’s execution of the planned planetary protection implementation throughout the project life cycle.

e. Oversees the project’s identification of applicable Agency planetary protection requirements for extended mission activities in coordination with the PPO, if a project plans to extend its mission past the scheduled EOM or add to the planned set of mission objectives.

f. Advises the MDAA and other organizations across the Agency in the negotiation of a mission specific process for partnered missions with the appropriate interagency, commercial, and international partners.

2.3.2 The Chief, SMA established the Office of Planetary Protection (OPP) to support these responsibilities and designated the PPO to oversee this office in consultation with MDAAs.

2.4 Planetary Protection Officer

2.4.1 To assist the Chief, SMA in fulfilling their responsibilities to provide independent oversight of projects in support of safety and mission success, the PPO advises the Chief, SMA on all matters related to planetary protection. In addition, the PPO:

a. Represents NASA in external technical activities in the area of planetary protection in coordination with organizations across the Agency, including Mission Directorates, the Office of International and Interagency Relations, the Office of General Counsel, and the Office of the Chief Scientist. This includes taking a leadership role in advancing the planetary protection discipline in cooperation with other stakeholders, including:

(1) Other U.S. Government agencies.

(2) Commercial and private space industry organizations.

(3) Other space-faring nations and space agencies.

(4) International bodies, such as COSPAR.

b. Maintain NASA policy and subsidiary documentation related to planetary protection by consultation with oversight or advisory board.

c. Reviews for concurrence the proposer’s or project’s preliminary planetary protection mission categorization request.

d. Reviews for concurrence the project’s or proposer’s planetary protection mission categorization request, providing ongoing consultation on implementation throughout the project life-cycle.

e. Advises projects to ensure compliance with Agency planetary protection requirements and international agreements, including considerations for the tailoring of the Planetary Protection Requirements Document and formulation of the Planetary Protection Implementation Plan.

f. Oversees the project’s identification of applicable Agency planetary protection requirements, including an agreed upon set of accepted standards, consistent with the planetary protection mission categorization.

g. Verifies the project’s planned implementation and proposed use of alternative approaches is compliant with the identified applicable Agency planetary protection requirements.

h. Oversees the project’s execution of the planned planetary protection implementation, by timely communication and coordination with the NASA Project Manager, to verify compliance with identified Agency planetary protection requirements throughout the project life cycle by defining and conducting independent verification and assurance activities (technical authority audits), which include:

(1) Performing independent verification assays of environments, facilities, and flight hardware independent of assays conducted by the project.

(2) Monitoring activities and facilities using baselines and trends in project data and, in response, recommending appropriate project actions based on accepted best practice.

(3) Observing significant development and qualification tests and project operations to verify conformance with planned activities.

i. Oversees the project’s identification of applicable Agency planetary protection requirements for extended mission activities if a project plans to extend its mission past the scheduled EOM or add to the planned set of mission objectives.

j. In coordination with the MDAAs, establishes and supports research and technology development so that state-of-the-art methodologies are incorporated into the implementation of planetary protection activities.

k. Advises the MDAAs and other organizations across the Agency in the negotiation of a mission-specific process for partnered missions with the appropriate interagency, commercial, and international partners.

2.5 Project-Level SMA Technical Authority

2.5.1 The Project-Level SMA TA is responsible for serving as a planetary protection discipline advocate as part of their overall responsibility to exercise SMA TA within projects. The Project-Level SMA TA:

a. Advises projects to notify the PPO of missions requiring planetary protection mission categorization as early as proposal development and formulation architecture.

b. Assuring that the formulation and execution of the project’s planned implementation is technically sound and consistent with the established planetary protection mission categorization and associated SMA objectives.

c. Facilitates planned independent verification and assurance activities conducted by the PPO to ensure the project’s adequate execution of the planned planetary protection implementation throughout the project life-cycle.

d. Coordinates with projects to identify events or conditions that may require further assessment or investigation by the PPO.

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